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  “I’m loyal to Quentin and I would never lie to him. Listen, I understand your dilemma with Maya but just like I won’t let you harm her I would never let her harm you either.”

  “I respect your loyalty to my father, I really do. But I’m telling you now, if my father doesn’t wake up from his coma, I promise you Maya is going to die.”

  “Luckily for Maya then, Quentin is going to wake up.”

  “I can’t deny I want the very same thing. I pray for it to happen every single night. I would gladly let Maya live if it guaranteed my father would wake up. If that would happen and Aaliyah would come home, then both of my prayers would come true.”

  “Still no word from Aaliyah?”

  “Nope. When I was at the hospital the other day visiting my father, his nurse did tell me she called earlier that day to check in on him. From what I’ve been told she does that frequently and she comes to visit him at least a couple times a month.”

  “That’s not surprising you know how close they are.”

  “Yeah but I’m her mother. I remember how close we used to be,” I stated, staring back out the double glass doors. “It’s almost like we’ve become strangers. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on in her life. Has Amir been in contact with her?”

  “No. And although he won’t admit it, I can tell he’s taking it hard. It’s even affecting his work. I wish those kids could get it together.”

  “That’s the thing, they’re not kids anymore, at least in their minds they’re not. If only..”

  “Hold that thought, I have to take this call,” Genesis said, gesturing for me to give him a minute.

  “Take your time.” While Genesis was on the phone my mind instantly went back to Aaliyah and all the ways I went wrong with her and how I could make them back right.

  “We have to go to the main warehouse. There’s been a problem.”

  “What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you in the car. We have to go!” I could hear distress in Genesis’s voice, which was rare. So rare that I couldn’t remember another time that I had. I reached for my purse and rushed out behind him.

  When we reached the main warehouse my heart dropped. Genesis told me in the car that shit was bad but neither of us realized it was a motherfuckin’ catastrophe. I could smell death in the air as soon as we stepped through the back entrance door. There was nothing but dead bodies scattered throughout the building.

  “What in the hell happened here,” Genesis asked, putting his hand over his mouth and shaking his head as he stood in the middle of the warehouse, surrounded by dead bodies. I recognized a few of the deceased as some of the workers who handled

  shipments and others who worked security.

  “Not McKenzie,” I gasped, noticing his bullet ridden body slumped over a chair still holding his gun. McKenzie oversaw all the operations within the warehouse and now he was dead. It hurt me that so many of our people were murdered, but the pain ran a little bit deeper seeing McKenzie’s lifeless body. I spoke to him frequently. I met his wife on numerous occasions and even spent time with his kids. To have to tell her that she would never see her husband and the father of her three small children alive again brought tears to my eyes.

  “Who the fuck would have enough balls to have some shit like this carried out?” Genesis asked himself out loud, still in shock over what we were both seeing.

  “The only thing I know, is whoever is responsible for this,” I said, jabbing my finger down towards the floor, “will wish they would’ve died in this warehouse right along with the rest of these people. ‘Cause they death gon’ be slow and drawn all the way the fuck out. Motherfuckers got the game fucked up if they think they ‘bout to get away wit’ this bullshit right here. It’s on and we ain’t…” Before I could finish my thought I heard the front door opening. Genesis and I both reached for our guns simultaneously aiming them towards the entrance. My anger was at such an all time high, my finger was itching to pull the trigger.

  “It’s just me!” Jimar another one of our workers belted out, putting his hands up.

  “Nigga, you was about to catch it,” Genesis informed him, lowering his gun. I kept mine up, aiming at his head for a few more seconds until Genesis gave me that look that it was all good. Jimar had been a member of the team for a long time now, he was ranked right under McKenzie, but walking into this death hole had me ready to question everybody but myself.

  “My burner went dead so I went to use a pay phone to call the clean up crew. They on the way.”

  “Yeah they need to hurry the fuck up ‘cause they got a lot of shit to clean.”

  “I know but I gave them the body count.”

  “So how you end up not being on the deceased list?” I was ready to aim my gun right back up if I heard even one stutter in his explanation.

  “The only thing I can think is luck must’ve been on my side. The sole reason I wasn’t here was McKenzie needed me to pick up his wife’s nephew who was in downtown Brooklyn. He couldn’t go because he just got the call the shipment was on the way to be delivered. By the time I did that, dropped him off and came back to the warehouse, this is what I walked into. I just don’t know how some shit like this can happen.”

  Jimar’s response did seem sincere but I definitely made a notation to myself to verify his story. If it turned out to be legit then he was right, luck was on his side but not the other dozen or so men who lost their lives today.

  “So when you came back to the warehouse it was like this?”

  “Genesis, I haven’t touched nothing! I left it as it. After I saw all these dead bodies, the first thing I did was call you.”

  “What about the shipment, did it ever come?”

  “I don’t know. Whatever was in here got completely wiped out but maybe the new shipment hadn’t arrived yet. This all went down in a short period of time.”

  “Did you check the security camera?”

  “I did but everything was erased.”

  “Whoever did this shit damn sure won’t no amateurs,” I commented.

  “For sure. It had to be a seasoned crew to come in take all our men down, steal the drugs we had on site and know to erase the security video. But who,” Genesis kept asking, over and over again. I was hoping he wasn’t anticipating me to answer back with a response because I didn’t have one.

  “Before we start digging in our mind for answers, Genesis, you need to call the connect and find out if the delivery was already made. Because if it has been…Fuck, I don’t even want to think about that,” I said, starting to get a headache for even considering the thought. “I’m about to place that call but this scene here has to be dissected. I mean based on the positions of the bodies, our men didn’t even have time to react. How does a crew come in without warning and not leave any of our men standing.”

  “I don’t know, Genesis, but we will find out and when we do, they’ll be the ones calling a clean up crew.”

  Aaliyah

  “Did I tell you how proud I am of you? Never did I doubt you, as you’ve shown me what -*—^ you’re capable of but today…” Dale’s voice trailed off.

  “But today what.I kicked ass? No need to answer that question. I know that I did. I knew you needed me to hit a homerun so I delivered,” I boasted, leaning back in the car as I relaxed for the first time today. I didn’t want to alarm Dale but finally coming face-to-face with Juan Alvarez had me on edge for the last few days.

  “That you did. You had me worried but now I realize I had nothing to worry about. I won’t make the mistake of doubting you again.”

  “Yes you will but that’s okay. Your doubts keep me on top of my game,” I said, winking my eye and blowing him a playful kiss. That was my way of flirting with Dale without crossing the line, which had only happened once. I often found myself reminiscing about that time Dale kissed me when I was laying out by the pool. Back then it seemed so forbidden because I was still trying to make things work with Amir but now it seemed we were both just playin
g it safe. I mean I was his protege but with us working so closely together it was getting more difficult for me to not want to explore the possibilities. But I had decided I wouldn’t be the one to make the first move. If Dale was interested in seeing what could happen between us, he would have to be the aggressor.

  “Speaking of keeping you on top of your game, there’s a young lady that we’re bringing into the fold.”

  “What do you mean who is this chick?” I felt a twinge of jealousy hit me. I was used to being the only female and the idea of another one stepping in the mix wasn’t sitting well with me but I played it cool.

  “Her name is Tori. She’s been doing some work for us for a very long time but most of it kept her on the road.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “This new mission we’re about to put her on is a much higher caliber and I’m going to need your assistance.”

  “I’m a team player so what do you need me to

  do?”

  “Tori is extremely street savvy and loyal to us but she’s a little rough around the edges. But she understands the game and Emory and I both believe she will be the perfect person to infiltrate a competitor of our organization.”

  “Infiltrate how?”

  “To become the love interest of one of the organization’s top members and find out everything we need to know, so we can eliminate the competition once and for all.”

  “What organization are you talking about? You haven’t mentioned them before.”

  “It’s a Dominican drug organization. One of the leaders has a very strong penchant for black women. We’ve had beef with them for years now, long before you became a part of the family. But recently they’ve been giving us a lot of problems and with this new deal we’re closing with Juan Alvarez we want them out the way once and for all.”

  “So you’re going to use Tori as the bait?” Dale nodded his head yes. “What do you need from me?”

  “Tori has been in the game since she was a teenager. Doing everything she can to provide for her mother and her younger brothers and sisters. Although she’s a few years older than you she’s never had much time to date men. Her relationship with them has always been business never personal. I need you to bring out the feminine side of her, you know polish her up so she will be appealing to a Drug Lord.”

  “Why don’t you just let me infiltrate the organization so we don’t have to do all that training. I can handle it.”

  “No. This is a very dangerous mission and I don’t want you involved in that capacity.”

  “Didn’t we just have a discussion about you not doubting what I can get done?”

  “Yeah, we did but I’m not doubting your capabilities. I do believe Tori is a better fit for this particular job. Plus I need you here with me to handle the new volume of business we’ll be dealing with now that we’ve locked down Juan Alvarez as our direct connect. That takes precedence over the Dominican drug organization.”

  “I understand and you’re right, being here with you is more important.” Dale and I both gave a subtle smile as if reading each other’s mind.

  “That means you’re willing to take on the role as teacher and get Tori up to par?”

  “I’m looking forward to it. When I get done with Tori that Drug Lord will be so infatuated he’ll be begging her to be his wife.”

  “That’s exactly what I want to hear.”

  “So when do I get started?”

  “Today.”

  “Today!”

  “Yep. She’s at the house now with Emory. They’re waiting for us.”

  “Wow, talk about not wasting any time. What if I had told you no and wasn’t willing to do this?”

  “Didn’t I tell you I would never doubt you again? I already knew what your answer would be before I even asked you the question. And like the perfect protege you didn’t let me down.”

  “And I never will.”

  When we arrived back to the house Emory greeted us at the door as if he had been anxiously awaiting our arrival. Since this was out the norm for Emory I knew it had to do with the new project that Dale had already hipped me to. My eyes quickly darted around the open foyer eager to see what I working with.

  “Where is she?” I finally asked when I saw no sign of her.

  “She’s outside by the pool. I wanted to speak with you first before you all were introduced.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary. Dale has told me everything I need to know.” As I walked past Emory to head towards the pool he reached out and grabbed my arm. Our eyes met and he could see I wasn’t amused. Emory and I had this weird relationship. There was chemistry between us that bordered on hate yet unwanted mutual attraction that neither one of us were willing to admit to.

  “Aaliyah, I know you think you always have all the answers but there are a few things I want you to

  be aware of before you go out there.”

  “You can get your hand off of me, and then you can tell me what you think I need to know,” I countered, swinging my arm loose after Emory untightened his grip.

  “You know what, I’m going to let you handle this. Dale and I will stay here and wait for you. Let us know if you need anything.”

  “I’m sure I won’t, now excuse me. I have work to do.” As I made my way out to the pool I was thinking of some stores I would take Tori to so we could do some shopping. I was actually smiling imagining all the fun we would have getting new items for both of our wardrobes. I then thought about Justina and the day I gave her a makeover. We were so young and close. It was one of the best days of my life. I remember how happy she was to blossom into the beautiful girl I always knew her to be but now she could see it with her own eyes. That makeover also turned her into a selfish monster. But I think deep down Justina was always her mother’s daughter but it took me turning a duckling into a swan for it to show it’s ugly face.

  Even though I lost my best friend, actually both of them if I count Amir, I still remember the great feeling I got from doing her beauty transformation and I was eager to try it once again with Tori. If I wasn’t a Boss Bitch in the drug game I could surely take on a career as a beauty consultant because I had a gift for bringing out the best physical attributes in women. When I got outside by the pool I looked around for Tori but I didn’t see her. I did a quick glance around again but still no sign of Tori so I went back inside the house where Dale and Emory were talking.

  “Emory, Tori isn’t out there. Did she go someplace else in the house?”

  “She was out there a minute ago before I came in here.”

  “Well she’s not out there now. All I saw was some of our security workers.”

  “Come on, let’s see where she’s at.” We followed behind Emory as he went back out to the pool.

  “Why are we going back out to the pool? I already told you she’s not out here,” I huffed. But of course Emory couldn’t take my word for it. In his mind not only am I a know-it-all but my vision is fucked up too, I thought to myself. Instead of answering my question Emory continued walking until we approached a group of workers who were sitting in some lounge chairs by the pool. They all quickly stopped talking and looked up acknowledging Emory. Although Emory’s self-important attitude worked my nerves, everybody did respect him and showed it, especially our workers.

  “What can we do for you, Emory?” Chris, one of our head members of security stood up and asked. “I’m actually here to speak to Tori. Can you all excuse us?”

  “No problem.” Chris and a few other men quickly gathered their stuff making an exit. I was looking around for Tori. I was thinking she must’ve been hidden behind the big muscular men all this time.

  “Aaliyah, meet Tori.” The he/she stood up reaching out her hand and I almost choked.

  “What am I supposed to do with this,” I blurted out, not using any type of filter with my word choices. “Is this some sort of joke?” I turned towards Dale and then Emory.

  “Yo is she serious,” I heard the he/she say an
d it was then I realized she was indeed a woman. Her voice was soft and actually had a pretty tone, which was the complete opposite of her appearance. She had on a baseball cap with long cornbraids coming down the back. Some big black sunglasses, baggy jeans, a sweatshirt and Timberland boots although it was sunny and warm in Miami. I swear her look reminded me of dudes I saw on street corners up top hustling dime bags.

  “Aaliyah, that’s why I wanted to talk, so you would be prepared before coming out here.”

  “Prepare for what.all the talking in the world wouldn’t have prepared me for this. Dale, you said she was a little rough around the edges. I was expecting to do a makeover, you all are asking me to

  work a miracle.”

  “Yo, on the real, I don’t have to stand here and listen to this Black Barbie talk shit ‘bout me. If she wasn’t yo’ people she already be laid out.”

  “Nope, never that because before you could even think about laying me out I would’ve put a bullet in you,” I said, while moving in front of Emory. I wanted the chick to know that just because she borderline looking like a man and I was fitted in some runway shit, she didn’t intimidate me the least.

  “You got a lot of mouth but I bet yo’ ass can’t back it up.”

  “Try me.play wit’ yo’ life if you want to,” I threatened, reaching into my purse ready to pull out my piece and murk her ass.

  “That’s enough! Both of you!” Emory grumbled. We’re a team and we work together not apart.”

  “Emory, she’s the one talkin’ out her mouth sideways. What do you expect me to do?”

  “I expect for you to focus on the task at hand and do what’s necessary to make it work. “And you, Aaliyah,” Emory continued, bringing his wrath over to me. “I expect for you to take on the job you agreed to do for the benefit of our operation.” Emory caught my mouth opening to say some slick shit.

  “Listen..” Before I could get out another word Emory cut me off.

  “You are a member of this team, aren’t you?”